Academy President John Bailey Denies Sexual Harassment Accusations: ‘That Did Not Happen’

After being accused of sexual harassment, Academy President John Bailey has written a memo to members of the Academy‘s film staff denying the allegations. “There was a single named complaint regarding an allegation dating back more than a decade ago in which I am alleged to have to attempted to touch a woman inappropriately while we were both riding in a transport van on a movie set,” he wrote in the memo, which was obtained by IndieWire. “That did not happen.”

“The media reports describing multiple complaints made to the Academy about me are false and have served only to tarnish my 50-year career,” Bailey continued. “The fact that the existence of an allegation even became public thwarts the confidential review process that the Academy adopted and is supposed to follow when receiving complaints.”

In a statement released on March 16, the Academy wrote:

“The Academy treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties. The Membership Committee reviews all complaints brought against Academy members according to our Standards of Conduct process, and after completing reviews, reports to the Board of Governors. We will not comment further on such matters until the full review is completed.”

The Academy’s next board meeting is on March 27.